Print fast and in color with Dell's $85 C1760nw laser

ZDNet's Business Bargain Hunter scours the web for great deals on computers, phones, services and much more. Prices and availability are accurate at the time deals are shared. Some products and services may not be available outside the U.S. Follow BBH on Facebook and Twitter, where he's known as The Cheapskate.

A color laser for $85? Sign me up!

Dell

Inkjets printers -- barf, am I right? It's bad enough you have to pay a small fortune for low-capacity ink cartridges, but when a cartridge dries up after a short period of non-use? Nerd-raaaage!

Okay, they can handle photo paper, but who prints in-house photos anymore? Nah, I think for the vast majority of business-folk, laser is the way to go -- especially when it's as cheap or cheaper than inkjet.

To wit: For a limited time, and while supplies last, Staples has the Dell C1760nw color laser printer for $84.99 shipped, plus tax. It normally runs $150, and sells elsewhere for at least $125. (Full disclosure: once upon a time I saw it for $10 less. But this is still a steal.)

Just to be clear, this technically an LED printer, but the end result is the same. Tomato, tomahto.

Let me also mention that Staples historically runs out of inventory very quickly when running deals like this, so I hope you're able to get one if you want one. (If not, stay tuned -- I guarantee it'll come around again.)

The C1760nw is about as compact a color laser as I've seen, and in fact its input tray holds only 150 sheets -- not ideal for an office that's sharing it, but fine for a single user.

It offers all the key connectivity options: USB, Ethernet and Wi-Fi, though if you want to print from an Android or iOS device, you'll have to use Dell's app -- the printer doesn't support AirPrint or Google Cloud Print.

It's always important to check the cost of consumables, and I'm happy to report you can buy an entire set of third-party toner cartridges for as little as $24 -- and that's for a high-yield set. Try getting a complete set of ink cartridges for that price. And toner tends to stretch a lot farther, so this printer should cost you less to operate than any inkjet.

Neither CNET nor ZDNet have reviewed the C1760nw, but reviews elsewhere peg it as pretty good. Around 125 Staples customers rated it 4.3 stars on average, though Amazon buyers were a little less forgiving (3.8 stars).

My advice: Toss your inkjet and embrace the awesomeness that is a color laser. This is a stellar deal.

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